


Three Gifts

by FunnyFootsteps



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Birthday Presents, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Friendship, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Yearning, also some tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:15:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26205535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FunnyFootsteps/pseuds/FunnyFootsteps
Summary: While Dedue doesn’t care much for his birthday, others do care.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Dedue Molinaro
Comments: 10
Kudos: 34





	Three Gifts

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday, Dedue!

“Happy Birthday,” the Professor said.

The birthday tea with the Professor was surprisingly pleasant. How had she known what sort of tea he preferred, Dedue did not know. His Highness always seemed so disinterested in food and drink and Dedue didn't think anyone else in the whole monastery (or in all of Fódland) would care for his preferences. And yet the stoic professor served him perfectly brewed cinnamon blend tea.

“Would you like to talk about Dimitri?” the professor asked. She had obviously prepared smalltalk topics since neither she nor Dedue were naturally talkative people. Or perhaps Dedue could have been, in a different time, different setting.

After the teapot had been emptied and the professor had exhausted what felt like her whole vocabulary, she quite unceremoniously handed him a brand new watering can with a little blue ribbon tied to the handle.  


The greenhouse provided all the necessary gardening tools, so having his own watering can was unnecessary really. Unnecessary, but nice. He usually didn't do much of anything for his birthday. It had been years since anyone but His Highness had even known when his birthday was, and Dedue hadn't considered that this year might be different. 

* * *

A new watering can in hand, Dedue smiled on his way back to the dorms. Walking past the greenhouse he regretted watering the plants before class in the morning. Now he’d have to wait a couple of days to put the professor’s thoughtful gift in good use.  
He was at his door when Ashe's head peeked from the next room.

"Oh, there you are!" the archer said. 

Dedue looked at him feeling confused as Annette and Mercedes emerged from Ashe's room as if they had been waiting for him. “We heard it is your birthday,” Annette exclaimed, “if we had known earlier, we could have thrown a party or something.”

“Such things are unnecessary,” Dedue said  


His classmates seemed unbothered by his dismissal. Strange people. He had told each of them they’d be better off without being seen around him and yet they remained so friendly.

“We bought you a gift,” Ashe said

“Ta-dah! A brand new watering can, finest, and the only one on the market!” Annette said dramatically presenting the gift she had been hiding behind her back.

“The professor had the same idea,” Dedue admits and brings the trio’s attention to the gift he’s carrying. 

“Oh no, Ashe you were right, we should have gone with the frying pan instead,” Annette said.

“You shouldn't have troubled yourselves on my behalf at all,” Dedue protested.

“Oh, if you don't want it, that’s okay, too,” Mercedes assured him.

“That is not what I meant,” he says, and awkwardly takes the can from brightly smiling Annette, “thank you.” 

While lacking in originality, the gift was chosen for him specially. He felt seen in a way he hadn't been in such a long time. 

“We are going to the library to finish this week's essay, want to join us?” Ashe offered.

“No, thank you.”

His classmates take their leave. Dedue got in his room, closed his door, and placed both of his new watering cans on the desk. Homework laid on the table unfinished, but Dedue decided not to bother himself with it today. As someone who had only learned to read a couple of years ago, he sometimes still finds essays taxing. 

Idly he thought about leaving his room to find Dimitri for no particular reason. He simply enjoyed the prince’s company more than he’d like to admit. However, at this time of the day the prince was most likely still training, and Dedue wanted to stay away from the training grounds today if possible. While Dimitri was likely to be there, Felix would most definitely be there, and dealing with him was the least thing Dedue wished from his birthday.

* * *

A knock on the door jolts him out of his thoughts. Dedue had studied Dimitri more intensely than any material the Professor had to offer and thus recognized the prince from the knocking pattern alone. 

"What do you need, your Highness?" Dedue asked.

“I simply wanted to wish you a happy birthday.” 

“You already did so this morning,” Dedue tilted his head in confusion. 

“May I come in?” Dimitri asked as Dedue would ever deny him anything. 

Dedue moved out of the doorway to let Dimitri in. The reason for the prince’s visit seemed to be a present hastily wrapped in bright blue gift wrap that had been torn and taped together several times.

“I hope you will like it,” Dimitri said. 

He stood slightly too close and looked up to Dedue with earnest eagerness in his eyes. Dedue took a step back and took the gift off the prince’s hands while avoiding his gaze. 

Dedue realized he was holding his third watering can even before opening the gift. 

“Thank you, your Highness,” Dedue said and placed the watering can on the desk next to the others. He stood by the table, creating more space between him and the prince. Dimitri noticed the other gifts and looked very embarrassed.

“My apologies, Dedue. I should have thought of something else.”

Dedue shook his head. “Seems like I've become associated with gardening.”

“It suits you,” Dimitri said softly, “still, perhaps I should have chosen silver gauntlets or a brave axe instead. One can never have too many of those”.

Dimitri shuffled his feet awkwardly and continued, “Still, I wanted to give you something... Nicer. Perhaps I should have taken on Mercedes’ offer and knit you a scarf.”

“I… What”

“She taught me the basics of sewing earlier and suggested I’d take on knitting next. Something about it being relaxing. Still, you know I have no talent for such delicate things.”

Dedue knew. He had been cleaning up shards of teacups and plates for long enough to imagine what the crest of Blaiddyd could do to a pair of knitting needles. And yet the idea of Dimitri _knitting _something for him warmed him more than any scarf ever could.__

“Maybe next year,” his mouth worked faster than his brain.

“You would like that?”

“That is a useful skill,” Dedue tried to backtrack his overstepping.

Dimitri coughed awkwardly, ears burning red. “That much is true. Very well, I’ll take my leave now. Enjoy the rest of your birthday.”

Dedue waits till he can't hear the sound of Dimitri’s armored boots on the pavement anymore. 

“Thank you, Dimitri,” He said to the empty room.

**Author's Note:**

> His birthday was the whole reason I decided to start writing fanfiction now.


End file.
